And the representative they met today, Secretary Yang, was a trusted confidant of the couple, often traveling between the two shores to handle matters for them.
Wang Yuanzhong’s name was not known by many, which made Lin Wan again recall Yang Minghui’s words. The Wang Yuanzhong hosted by the garment factory was a wealthy businessman who had struggled and made his fortune, and the biological father of a famous movie star. Yet in Yang Minghui’s account, he was an incapable spendthrift. The two images were truly far apart.
Lin Wan kept this matter in mind, pondering how to bring it up with the garment factory leaders. It was a matter of great importance. One always had to be more cautious.
At dinner time, Fu Xiuhuai still had not returned. He only called home to say not to wait for him. Fu Xiutong was also busy at the steel plant. As for Zhang Meiying, she was absorbed in mahjong and was not planning to come back for dinner either.
Auntie Wang prepared food for three people, four dishes and one soup. After the old master, old madam, and Lin Wan sat down at the table, she went outside to tend the flowers and plants.
Fu Zhiyong and Jiang Yuehua, the old couple, asked a few concerned questions about Lin Wan’s appetite and reminded her of some precautions during pregnancy. After the meal, they brought up the situation on the day Lin Wan and Fu Xiuhuai married.
Lin Wan was indeed curious. She listened patiently and from time to time asked about details.
“Xiuhuai has had a hard temper since childhood. Back then the family encountered upheaval. Your father was a university professor and was dragged out and struggled against as a stinking old ninth. Our whole family was sent down for reform. At the time we planned to entrust the younger Xiuhuai to a colleague. At least we could save one if we could. This child was only about ten, yet insisted on coming with us.” Jiang Yuehua was old and loved recalling the past. “Later, the Fu family was also supported by him, and only then came today’s good days. Doing business is so bitter. At the very beginning he was even labeled a speculator and profiteer and suffered a lot. The little money he saved all went to the family. Later he went out to contract projects, doing everything himself, never complaining of bitterness to the family… Xiuhuai’s father and I only worried about his life’s major event. Seeing him approaching thirty with still no sign of anything around him, how could we not be anxious? Then one day, out of the blue, he said he was getting married.”
When marriage was mentioned, Jiang Yuehua smiled her eyes into slits: “When I saw you, I cannot tell you how delighted I was. This kid Xiuhuai really has good taste.”
Lin Wan did not dare respond much. After all, she had no impression of these matters at all. But when she heard her mother-in-law mention that the wedding banquet had been held at Jinzhuang Grand Hotel, she was surprised.
So she had eaten at Jinzhuang Grand Hotel half a year ago?
“Jinzhuang’s food is quite good, especially the snowflake chicken custard. It shows craftsmanship. You loved it most too.” Jiang Yuehua had a deep impression of the wedding banquet half a year ago. “I remember at the time, after toasting, Xiuhuai specially asked the kitchen to add another portion of snowflake chicken custard. I had never seen him so attentive.”
Thinking of the snowflake chicken custard that had stopped right in front of her at noon today, Lin Wan’s lashes trembled lightly.
October’s autumn wind was bleak. Jiangcheng’s sky visibly darkened earlier and earlier. Around seven, it was already murky, accompanied by rolling dark clouds.
Auntie Wang glanced at the pitch-black sky and muttered with a sigh: “Oh dear, looks like a rainstorm is coming.”
After saying that, she busied herself gathering the clothes.
The temperature before rain was the most pleasant. When the breeze blew, only coolness swept over.
Lin Wan stood in the Fu family villa garden and felt a few fetal movements, that wondrous gentle squirming sensation. That uncontrollable surging of new life being nurtured made one uneasy, nervous, and also mixed with a bit of expectation deep in the heart.
“Lin Wan!” He Yanni, carrying a red leather bag, got out of a red Xiali taxi and waved on tiptoe toward Lin Wan.
He Yanni was always warm and enthusiastic. Every time they met, she would raise her voice to greet her, like a warm, cozy sun.
“Sister Yanni, just got back from outside? Have you eaten dinner?” Lin Wan stepped forward and used the universal small-talk phrases.
“I ate! I just ate outside while shopping.” He Yanni was somewhat excited. Holding Lin Wan’s arm, wanting to talk with her, she directly led her toward her own home. “Your husband introduced work to my husband again. He really is a god of wealth.”
Fu Xiuhuai undertook building construction, and upstream and downstream supply also needed cooperation. Aside from raw material supply, transportation was also a major part.
It was truly costly for a construction company to keep another fleet of large trucks and drivers. Better to cooperate with a transport company when needed, which could instead lower costs.
He Yanni’s husband Sun Hongbo was reliable in handling matters. After getting to know Fu Xiuhuai, they had cooperated on quite a few projects. Both sides were at ease.
The two stood on the asphalt road between their two villas, chatting about daily matters: “Thanks to your husband being capable. He takes on big projects, so our Old Sun can also drink a bit of meat soup along with him.”
He Yanni said this modestly. In fact, although her family’s transport company was not the largest in scale, it was stable and reliable. The projects it normally took on, as well as its own transport projects, could bring stable income. It was just that Fu Xiuhuai often could get big projects, which was the icing on the cake.
It happened to be after dinner. Someone from the villa district came out for a walk. Passing the two and hearing this, she could not help joining in: “What He Yanni says does make sense. Isn’t your and Sun Hongbo’s transport team relying on the Fu family’s business? Otherwise you would not even have meat soup to drink. You should really build a good relationship with Fu Xiuhuai’s wife.”
Lin Wan’s brows furrowed slightly. Looking at the middle-aged woman she did not know, she saw the person was plump, with a round face and fleshy cheeks, yet when she smiled she did not appear kind. Instead she had a somewhat mean look, matching the provocation inside and outside her words.
No matter what relationship the two families had, these words were indeed ugly. Even if He Yanni meant to be modest and flattering, an outsider cutting in to belittle her was ugly, and could even make it impossible for the two to remain friends.
By her meaning, would it not be that He Yanni being friends with her was flattery and fawning, and for the sake of face and dignity, she would have to stay away?
Lin Wan smiled at the unfamiliar woman, her voice clear and sweet: “A construction company cooperating with a transport company is a mutual choice. Especially since Brother Sun is capable and handles transport projects properly. Otherwise, how could they cooperate for so long?” Lin Wan knew He Yanni was the finance person of the transport company and could not help admiring this husband-and-wife shop. “Especially with Sister Yanni as the strategist, holding down the important finance checkpoint. Of course cooperating with the two of them can last long.”
“You…” The middle-aged woman’s slanted triangular eyes, which had been drifting randomly, suddenly widened a bit. She gave a cold snort and turned and left.
These words made He Yanni feel very comfortable. No matter what, Lin Wan had given her family full face.
After pulling Lin Wan inside to sit for a while, He Yanni poured her a cup of warm water, then brought up the woman from just now: “That Auntie Liu really holds a grudge. She always has to come out and make a sour remark or two.”
“Auntie Liu…?” Lin Wan was not sure whether her former self knew that person.
“That’s right! You forgot?” He Yanni plopped down beside Lin Wan and began chattering about past events. “Half a year ago her son also started a transport team and wanted to cooperate with your husband. They sent gifts several times, and even sent things to you. Remember?”
“Sent things to me?” Naturally Lin Wan did not remember, but fortunately He Yanni was broad-minded and only assumed Lin Wan had forgotten.
“Yes.” He Yanni felt somewhat uneasy about a competitor for business. After all, when someone snatches business from you, the other side loses. There was no need to hide it. “They sent you quite a few nice things, like ginseng, deer antler, gold chains, gold bracelets. But you did not accept them. You only said you did not participate in Fu Xiuhuai’s business. Anyway, afterward their whole family could not stand seeing our two families do well.”
Lin Wan had not expected there was such a matter. It seemed that no matter whether she remembered the past or not, she would make the same choice.
Especially since He Yanni was warm and cheerful, sincere in treating people. This was something Lin Wan could feel. There was no reason to let others sow discord and then affect the relationship.
The two talked in the house for a while. He Yanni suddenly thought of something and pulled Lin Wan upstairs: “Oh right, right. This time aren’t they doing the Hong Kong City building project? Speaking of Hong Kong City, I have something good!”
Lin Wan was mysteriously handed a paper box by He Yanni, then wrapped in a paper bag from the department store used for clothes. It had quite some weight.
“Look at it when you get home! You’ll definitely like it! From Hong Kong City. Especially good!” He Yanni praised the thing as if it were the only one in heaven and none on earth, making Lin Wan especially curious.
After carrying the paper bag home, Lin Wan had just walked into the living room when she heard Fu Minghui’s cheerful laughter and voices.
Fu Minghui had heard her biological brother had come home and had specially returned from school to catch him, planning to make Fu Mingjun treat her to something good.
As a result, by the time she arrived, Fu Mingjun had disappeared again.
“Auntie!” After chatting with her grandparents for a while, Fu Minghui complained to Lin Wan about her biological brother’s unreliability. “He goes out for months, and when he comes back he vanishes again. Uncle really should straighten him out!”
Lin Wan had no intention of getting involved in the Fu family’s entanglements. She only smiled: “Do you have classes tomorrow? Leaving early in the morning?”
“Yes!” Fu Minghui felt she was so pitiful. Tomorrow early in the morning she still had to take a taxi and rush to school. “Auntie, I really will be angered to death by my brother… Aiyo, every time I call you auntie I feel I’m making you sound old.”
Lin Wan was amused by the girl’s words, then on second thought felt it made sense. The word “auntie” placed on her twenty-two-year-old self did sound aging.
“Then don’t call me that. Just call me by my name. No need to care about those empty formalities.”
“No way. Uncle would not agree.” Fu Minghui also found it strange. Uncle was usually informal and quite tolerant with her and her brother, yet at the time of marriage he had seriously pointed it out, insisting they address people by seniority.
Fu Minghui knew when her uncle could let someone off and when he was serious and brooked no refusal. She could only obediently follow seniority.
“Anyway, Uncle told us to call you that. Auntie, if you’re not satisfied, go hit him.”
Lin Wan burst out laughing. After chatting a while longer, she carried the bag He Yanni had given her upstairs.
……
Just after Lin Wan returned to the room, Fu Xiuhuai arrived home.
Fu Minghui properly called him Uncle, then could not resist teasing: “Uncle, Auntie just went upstairs to put things away. You two are quite interesting. One after the other, never meeting.”
The corners of Fu Xiuhuai’s mouth pulled into a slight curve. He strode toward the second floor, leaving only one sentence: “After entering university, your mouth has become more and more talkative.”
Behind him, Fu Minghui pouted playfully at her uncle.
The trip upstairs took only half a minute. Before entering, Fu Xiuhuai habitually knocked three times before turning the door handle. When he pushed the door open, he saw Lin Wan, who would never show intense emotions at any time, looking startled. She seemed to stuff something into the wardrobe, then banged the wardrobe door shut. With her back against the wardrobe, she looked at him with a panicked expression.
Her clear, water-like eyes were slightly widened like a deer’s, carrying a bit of pure moistness. She looked over innocently and helplessly.
“What’s wrong?” Fu Xiuhuai had never seen Lin Wan like this. Even when that major event had happened back then, she had been calm and self-possessed, showing little emotion.
“Nothing.” Lin Wan visibly blushed, the red burning all the way to her ears. She shook her head like a rattle drum and hurriedly denied it.
It was just that the image still lingering in her mind was truly something this serious university student had never encountered. She had thought He Yanni was giving her Hong Kong City cassettes, VCDs, or the like. Who would have thought…
Lace, cutouts, half-hidden, thin to the point of transparency…